One of the kids went to a person’s house yesterday and said “it was pretty cluttered.” My response was “more than ours?” She said that this person hasn’t gone through Sue Barber’s remodeling effort yet. For those who know me, I do have a bit of a challenge with clutter. I have been actively working on cleaning out things and getting rid of old stuff. I recognized how much it was weighing me down and draining my energy. For her to say that means my work is starting to pay off! I am by no means totally rid of it all yet, but it is a significant improvement over where it was at the beginning of last year.
We all have a place in our house that seems to gather all the extra stuff. Donate things, give them away, sell them on eBay or in a garage sale. If you don’t need them, then give them to someone else who could use them. You can also spruce things up a bit. You don’t have to spend a ton of money. You can paint a wall, get a new rug or hang up a picture. Not creative when it comes to these things? Look for ideas on Pinterest or the shows on TV where they make a room look amazing with some simple changes that are very inexpensive.
What would motivate you to do this for yourself? I think it is a bit overwhelming to think about doing your whole house at once, but what if you just start with a drawer? Your desk? Your closet? A shelf in your closet is even a good start. Usually what happens is that you begin somewhere and then you see how nice it looks and you keep going. I have mentioned before that I work well under pressure, so I use that to help me with the motivation I need. This usually occurs when I have invited a bunch of people over and I need to get stuff done before they get here! Choose the motivation that works best for you to get you started.
Every person that I know who has been clearing out some of their physical space is so much happier when it is done. They actually want to spend time in their space vs avoiding it. The goal is create a space that you are happy being in and that gives you energy. If that isn’t happening for you, just take a small step to move in that direction. Just get started and remember that a little progress each day will add up to big results!